1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, and an image processing method which are used in, for example, an apparatus or system for managing a number of images and displaying a list of reduced images (thumbnail images) of those images and to a storage medium in which processing steps for embodying them have been stored in a computer-readable state.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, for example, there have been used many software (hereinafter, referred to as “image management list display software”) for fetching a number of images obtained by an image input device such as scanner, digital camera, or the like into a personal computer (hereinafter, simply referred to as “PC”) and displaying a list of them.
FIG. 11 shows a display picture plane 900 of a PC which is obtained by image management list display software.
The display picture plane 900 comprises a window 901 and a window 902.
The window 901 is called a tree view. A folder construction in a hard disk of the PC is shown in the window 901.
When the user designates, for example, a folder shown by “901a” by clicking a mouse from the folder construction shown by the window 901, a list of reduced images (hereinafter, also referred to as “thumbnail images) 903(1), 903(2), 903(3), . . . of image files existing in such a folder is displayed in the window 902 on the right side of the window 901 (hereinafter, the operation for displaying such thumbnail images is also referred to as a “thumbnail display”).
The user, therefore, can easily recognize what kind of images the image files existing in the folder 901a are, or the like without performing the operation for opening the image files existing in the folder 901a one by one and can easily find a desired image.
Each of the thumbnail images 903(1), 903(2), 903(3), . . . which are displayed as a list in the window 902 is reduced and generated so as to go in a frame (hereinafter, also referred to as a “thumbnail frame”) of some fixed size while keeping an aspect ratio.
For example, in the case where a frame size is equal to 100 (in the lateral direction)×100 (in the vertical direction) pixels (dots) and an image (main image) serving as an original image of the thumbnail image is set to a size of 640 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots, the thumbnail image is generated at a size of 100 (lateral direction)×75 (vertical direction) dots.
If the main image is an image having a size of 500 (lateral direction)×1000 (vertical direction) dots, a thumbnail image of such a main image is generated at a size of 50 (lateral direction)×100 (vertical direction) dots.
For example, when a laterally-wide scene such as a landscape or the like is photographed by a digital camera, there is a case where a photograph image of such a scene cannot be obtained by photographing once.
In such a case, by performing the photography a plurality of number of times and synthesizing a plurality of photograph images thus obtained in the lateral direction on the PC, a laterally-wide scene such as a landscape or the like can be obtained as one photograph image (one wide image, namely, panorama image).
Specifically speaking, for example, in the case where one photograph image having a size of 640 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots is obtained by photographing once and a plurality of relevant photograph images are synthesized in the lateral direction, one scene is divisionally photographed twice in a manner such that the same location overlaps by an amount of 50% in each photography in this instance. By synthesizing the two photograph images thus obtained, a panorama image having a size of 960 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots can be obtained.
In case of synthesizing three photograph images by photographing three times in a manner similar to the case mentioned above, therefore, a panorama image having a size of 1280 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots is obtained. A panorama image having a size of 1600 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots is obtained by photographing four times. A panorama image having a size of 1920 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots is obtained by photographing five times.
In the conventional display apparatus using the image management list display software as mentioned above, however, if the laterally-wide panorama image obtained by synthesizing a plurality of photograph images in the lateral direction is thumbnail displayed, an image like an elongated rod is displayed in a frame.
For example, if it is intended to display a main image 921 of 1920 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots as shown in FIG. 12A so as to go in a thumbnail frame of 100 (lateral direction)×100 (vertical direction) dots as shown in FIG. 12B, a thumbnail image 921′ of the panorama image (main image) 921 is generated at a size of 100 (lateral direction)×25 (vertical direction) dots and displayed in a state like an elongated rod.
In the case where a further laterally-wide main image of 3840 (lateral direction)×480 (vertical direction) dots (image obtained by photographing 10 times and synthesizing ten photograph images in the lateral direction, or the like) is thumbnail displayed, a thumbnail image of such a main image is generated at a size of 100 (lateral direction)×13 (vertical direction) dots and displayed in a state like a further elongated rod.
As mentioned above, in the conventional apparatus, if the laterally-wide image is thumbnail displayed, it is displayed in an elongated state like a rod. Therefore, even if the user looks at the thumbnail displayed image, it is extremely difficult to distinguish what kind of image the observed image is.
That is, although it is an object of the image management list display software for the user to easily identify the image by thumbnail displaying it, if a number of laterally-wide images exist as main images, the object such that the user can identify those images cannot be accomplished.
Also in the case where the main image is a vertically-long image (image obtained by photographing a plurality of number of times and synthesizing a plurality of photograph images in the vertical direction, or the like), if such a main image is thumbnail displayed, it is displayed in an elongated state where it is vertically long like a rod. Therefore, even if the user looks at the thumbnail displayed image, it is extremely difficult to distinguish what kind of image the observed image is.